Single or multiple (where legal) baited hooks on light mono leaders, rather than tied directly to the mainline, are another effective way to present baits at set distances off bottom. A jig at the end of the tag line rather than a weight serves the purpose of the weight, but works also as an attractor lure that bottom-hugging perch might find appealing (check your regulations for double-rigging). The weight allows you to cast smaller baits a long distance and to keep the bait off bottom, while the weight drags on bottom, stirring up sediment—which has been known to turn perch on.
A 7- to 9-foot rod equipped with an oversized reel spooled with 2- to 4-pound test allows anglers to launch lightweight baits long distances. As mentioned, don’t cast right on top of the school—you might spook them. Cast to the edge—you’ll still get their attention with a kerplunk of the bait. When using a drop-shot rig, for instance, let it sink to bottom then pause, reeling in the slack. Shake the tip so the bait imitates the feeding or swimming motion of the little critters. It’s deadly easy and effective.
Once the perch start biting, don’t lollygag. Across the country, it seems that once you get perch biting, they’ll keep biting as fast as you can cast. It can turn into a perch pecking pickathon when it happens. Enjoy it. With your hard search, you earned it.
Deeper Perch Patterns
Perch easily can be holding in deeper water, too. In some lakes they may stage in deeper haunts for most of the year, scoot shallow for a short period during the spawn, then migrate right back to the basin. Thanks to technology, the search for deeper perch is now simpler and more precise.
Anglers can eliminate possible locations in short order with today’s technological tools. Underwater cameras allow you to see what’s happening below, like Aqua-Vu’s MAV which deploys automatically at the touch of a button. Few fish are as easy to identify as perch, thanks to their barred markings. Other noteworthy tools for finding perch are Lowrance color units and Humminbird’s side-scanning sonar, both highly accurate, making it easy to decipher signals. And GPS units display maps, some capable of showing one-foot contours of an entire lake.
Although electronics have made finding perch easier, you still have to be out there and put in your time. As mentioned, hard bottoms such as rock, gravel, or sand attract freshwater shrimp (scuds) and minnows that ultimately attract perch. Mudflats often support mayfly larvae and other insect life. Other invertebrates like the aquatic stages of various midges and gnats also live deep.
The same baits ice-anglers use to catch perch are just as suitable for vertical-fishing perch in open water. The fish are easier to tempt with a jig tipped with a minnow, a piece of nightcrawler, or a slice of crawdad tail. I prefer 1/8- to 1/4- ounce, but a good rule of thumb is to match the weight of the jig to the size of the bait and the depth being fished. Below slipbobbers, perch can be tempted with small jigs tipped with livebait, so bring along a healthy supply in a variety of options—perch can be terribly selective at times. Jigs tipped with maggots, grubs, minnows, nightcrawlers, or crawdad meat are top options.
